This month, I feature a handful of really quick meals for those on the go. You don’t have to resort to the local Quickie Mart; Paleo/Zone goodies are just minutes away! I make a few concessions here from optimal food sources and preparation techniques in the interest of saving time. I really prefer to use fresh fruits and veggies and to avoid the microwave whenever possible, but sometimes this just isn’t possible when you have a very busy life. A couple of the recipes have a holiday twist, and a few also feature the cranberry, a tasty seasonal fruit.


Simmer Sauce Spinach

5 minutes

. 2 cups frozen spinach
. 1/3 cup frozen chopped onion
. 1/2 cup Korma Simmer Sauce or other Marsala sauce (Trader Joe’s Curry Simmer Sauce is good, too)
. 5 oz canned tuna or other leftover meat
. 1 oz cashews
. 1 Tbsp raisins
. Olive oil as needed

Microwave spinach and onion until thawed (or, as I usually do, leave them out to thaw overnight). Add sauce and meat, then heat more. Add rasins, cashews, and oil as needed.

Zone Blocks: 1 serving = 4 carb blocks, 5 protein blocks, 4 1/2 fat blocks (before adding olive oil)



Quick Corriander Chicken

5-10 minutes

. 2 chicken breasts
. Cabbage, cauliflower, or both
. 1 apple, cored and chopped
. Parsley
. 1/2 tsp coriander
. Water

I love the slow cooker. Toss in a few things, go to bed, and you have meals for the next day when you wake up. Here is an easy chicken recipe - load the crock pot and get some sleep!

Zone Blocks: Approx. 2 servings at 5 protein blocks, 2 carb blocks.



Brandied Cranberries

3 minutes preparation, 1 hour cook time

. 2 cups fresh cranberries
. 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
. 1/2 cup either Brandy or grape juice

A quick dessert. Mix applesauce, cranberries, and juice or brandy in a small baking dish. Bake in oven at 350 F for 1 hour. This is good warm or chilled. If you don’t want to use brandy, grape juice is a good alternative. The taste is a bit dif¬ferent, but still quite good.

Zone Blocks: 1 serving = 2 carb blocks



Quick Stir-Fry

5 minutes

. 3 cups pre packaged stir fry veggies
. 5 oz can tuna or other leftover meat (shrimp works great, too)
. 1 oz sunflower seeds
. Olive oil or toasted sesame oil
. 1/4 tsp ginger
. 1 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce (optional)

Sauté the veggies in the oil for around 3 minutes. Add the ginger, sunflower seeds, tuna, and soy sauce. Sauté for a couple of minutes longer, then serve.

Zone Blocks: 1 serving = 1 1/2 carb blocks, 5 pro¬tein blocks, 4 1/2 fat blocks. Add oil as needed to balance your fat blocks (1/3 tsp = 1 fat block)





Quick Mango Cereal

3 minutes

. 1 cup frozen mangos, thawed
. 1/4 cup almond meal
. 2 chopped dates
. 1 oz chopped walnuts
. 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Here is another spin on the Quick Berry Cereal that was featured in the August 2005 Perfor¬mance Menu. Simply mix and heat a bit in the microwave. With some lean protein, this makes a good 4X fat meal.

Zone Blocks: 4 carb blocks, 16 fat blocks.



Bog Salad

10 minutes

. 4 cups spinach
. 4 oz turkey
. 1 Tbsp dried cranberries
. 2 Tbsp avocado
. 1 boiled egg, sliced
. 1/2 oz chopped walnuts
. Olive oil

A salad made from holiday leftovers. Toss and enjoy!

Zone Blocks: 2 carb blocks, 5 protein blocks, 7 fat blocks (before adding olive oil or other dressing)





Lemon Tarts
Nikki Young

Pastry
. 1 cup almond meal
. 3 Tbsp lemon juice
. 4 dates

Filling
. 6 Tbsp lemon juice
. 1 finely grated lemon rind
. 1 Tbsp honey
. 2 eggs

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (fan-forced). To make the pastry, place ingredients into a blender and mix until well combined. In a muf¬fin tray (or similar), line individual holes with baking paper, and firmly place pastry mixture on the bottom and sides. Place in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until pastry has browned. Leave to cool.

To make the filling, place lemon juice, lemon rind and honey into a pan and simmer on low heat for 2 minutes. In a bowl, beat eggs well with a fork. When mixture is simmering nicely, slowly add the beaten eggs, stirring vigorously to form a nice smooth texture. Add more honey if desired. Leave to cool slightly.

When pastry has cooled, and the filling has re¬duced to a warm temperature. You can then spoon the filling into each individual tart. Place in the fridge until cooled and set. Makes around 4 servings, depending on size.

Zone Blocks: 9 block fat; 1 block carb; 0.5 block protein (per serving)





Cherry Balls
Nikki Young

. 20 fresh cherries, chopped
. 3 Tbsp almond butter, or peanut butter
. 1/2 Cup chopped walnuts
. 1 Cup shredded coconut
. 2 Tbsp honey

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (fan-forced). In a bowl, mix all ingredients together. Shape into balls and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Place in the oven for 5-10 minutes, or until balls have browned. They will still be quite soft at this stage. Place them in the fridge until cooled. Makes around 7 servings.

Zone Blocks: 3.5 block fat; 1 block carb (per serv¬ing)





Cinnamon & Raisin Cookies
Nikki Young

. 1/2 cup almond meal
. 3 Tbsp freshly ground walnuts
. 1 Tbsp honey
. 1 Tbsp cinnamon
. Dash of all spice
. Dash of nutmeg
. 2 Tbsp currants
. 1/3 cup raisins
. 1 egg

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (fan-forced). Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. On a baking tray lined with baking paper, firmly pack mixture down into a large square or rect¬angle shape.

Place in oven for 20-30 minutes, or until well browned and cooked. Leave to cool, then cut into individual servings.

Zone Blocks: 24 block fat; 9 block carb (Divide by serving sizes for blocks per serving)





Almond Delights
Nikki Young

. 2 cups ground almond (almond meal)
. 3 egg whites
. 1 1/2 Tbsp melted honey
. 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
. 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (fan forced). In a bowl mix ground almonds, cinnamon, nut¬meg and melted honey; melting the honey makes the ingredients mix together easily. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until light and fluffy and stiff peaks form, mix carefully into the almond meal to prevent too much air being lost in the egg whites.

Place teaspoon size scoops of mixture onto a bak¬ing tray lined with baking paper. Place in oven for 10-15 minutes or until browned and cooked. Makes 13-15 servings.

Zone Blocks: 4 block fat (per serving)